"Your Majesty! This is unreasonable!"
Imperial Censor Feng Quji stood up suddenly, spoke with a sense of righteousness and impassioned frankness.
Wang Wan, who was standing beside him, was greatly surprised. He didn't know why this old friend, who had unlimited authority over his subordinates but was like a fence-sitter, easily leaning towards whichever side the wind blew, would take the initiative to wade into this muddy water.
Now the situation is too clear.
Chang'an Jun wanted to confer the title of Guanjun Marquis on the dying Duke Meng, and Your Majesty agreed.
No matter what your majesty is thinking, whether he wants to win over the hearts of the Qin army in the court and the country by conferring titles of nobility, or he wants to increase the power of the military generals, or he wants to build momentum for Chang'an Jun to succeed to the throne.
Your Majesty has already agreed.
His Majesty has agreed, why are you still standing up and trying to be fair?
If I stand up and speak for justice now, I will be standing against the three forces of Your Majesty, Lord Chang'an, and the generals. This is not something a wise man can do, let alone something a fence-sitter can do.
As expected.
Ying Chengjiao cast a look of extreme dissatisfaction over there, and all the generals in the court looked over there with hostility.
Meng Wu, Meng Tian, ​​and his son Meng Yi all looked as if they wanted to kill Feng Quji.
My father/grandfather was conferred the title of Marquis of Guanjun. This was the old man’s lifelong honor and his lifelong wish.
The matter had already been settled, but you, Feng Quji, stood up and created trouble. What qualifications do you, a civil servant, have to comment?
No matter how fair a general is in fighting for life and death on the battlefield, he will inevitably have contempt for civil servants in his heart.
The military commanders who risked their lives on the battlefield to fight for titles and official positions, regarded the civil servants in the rear as sycophantic treacherous ministers who could be on an equal footing with them just by talking!
"It is true that Lord Meng has worked hard and made great contributions, but every military achievement has been counted and the reward has been issued. The twenty levels of military merit, the promotion standards for each level have been announced to the public. Conferring Lord Meng the title of Champion Marquis, what do you think of the generals fighting outside? This move is hard to convince the public!"
[How unwise! Your Majesty has made a decision and it cannot be changed or argued. Can't you see what will happen to Yao Jia? ]
Right Prime Minister Wang Wan pulled Feng Quji's legs dozens of times, but did not make Feng Quji speak any slower.
The last person who did this, Yao Jia, was dismissed from his position as a senior minister by the First Emperor, and fell from the sky to the underworld. He had no choice but to withdraw from Xianyang, the power center of the Qin Dynasty, and fled to Han to make a living.
However, this time.
The First Emperor, who spoke with great authority and conferred the title of Marquis of Guanjun on Meng Ao, was disobeyed in public, but he did not show any anger, but nodded approvingly.
"rational."
There was silence upward.
But if all the ministers' opinions were expressed outwardly, there would surely be an uproar.
The First Emperor's repeated attitudes made them unsure. They thought they knew him well enough, but they were wrong in just a few attempts.
"Cheng Jiao, you want to ask for the title of Marquis of Guanjun for Duke Meng, but what is the basis for that? As Feng Quji said, this is not in accordance with Qin law and cannot convince the public."
All the soldiers, including the Meng father and son, looked at Ying Chengjiao with hope.
The meaning of the First Emperor's words was very clear: whether Meng Ao could be granted the title of Marquis of Guanjun depended entirely on Ying Chengjiao.
"If you can't convince the masses, then who is unwilling to obey? Is it you, Feng Quji, alone?"
Ying Chengjiao said in a deep voice.
"Of course I don't accept it, and neither do you gentlemen!"
Feng Quji refused to give in.
Ying Chengjiao's eyebrows were sharp, and his gaze was as solid as substance, but it could not make Feng Quji retreat in the slightest.
"Jiang Shang, are you convinced?"
Ying Chengjiao, who was looking at Feng Quji, spoke abruptly, naming the head of the Qin civil officials - Prime Minister Jiang Shang.
Jiang Shang stood up and bowed towards the platform.
"Shang stole the truth from heaven and told Your Majesty, and got the position of prime minister. This is naturally incomparable with the real military achievements of Menggong. Menggong was named Guanjunhou, and Jiang Shang was naturally convinced."
"Lian Po, are you convinced?"
Ying Chengjiao called out the names again.
The chief of the Qin army, Lieutenant General Lian Po, stood up, and the other generals looked at him in awe.
The previous Qin general Wei Liao had never been on the battlefield, had no military achievements, and was not recognized by the Qin generals. But Lian Po was different.
During the Battle of Changping, when Bai Qi, Marquis Wu'an of Qin, heard that Zhao had sent Lian Po to defend Changping, he said, "It's useless to go. Changping cannot be taken with Lian Po defending it," and refused to be the commander-in-chief of Changping.
It was not until the State of Zhao changed its generals before the battle, replacing Lian Po with Zhao Kuo, that Bai Qi accepted the order and rushed to Changping.
There were many generals who fought against Bai Qi, and all of them were defeated.
The only general who could make Bai Qi avoid fighting was Lian Po.
Whether in terms of battle record or reputation, Lian Po is stronger than Meng Ao. Lian Po is a famous general in the world who is comparable to Meng Ao's main general Bai Qi. The two are one level apart.
Then, Lian Po, a veteran general who was not good at speaking and was older than Meng Ao, was silent for a moment and said briefly:
"Clothes."
Although they had long known that Jiang Shang and Lian Po were retainers of Lord Chang'an, many of the ministers were skeptical as to how much respect they could show to their lord Ying Chengjiao as they already held the highest official positions.
After hearing the answer from the two, they had no doubts anymore.
Ying Chengjiao, who had been standing, seemed infinitely taller in their sight, like a giant.
Ying Chengjiao first referred to Lu Buwei and then to Lian Po.
"Grand Censor Feng, the Prime Minister, and the State Commandant are all convinced. Is this okay?"
The Prime Minister and the State Commandant, who hold higher positions than you, have all surrendered to him. What else can you, a Censor-in-Chief, say?
Feng Quji sneered.
"Jiang Shang and Lian Po were once your retainers. They were forced to follow your words under your tyranny. There are many people in the hall, but these two have fallen into depravity."
"rational."
The clear voice of the First Emperor spread throughout the hall, causing Ying Chengjiao, who wanted to stop there, to frown.
He closed his eyes helplessly, and whispered under the complicated gazes of the civil and military officials in the court:
"Fu Zikang, are you convinced?"
Fu Zikang, one of the Nine Ministers and the Internal Secretary of Grain, stood up and bowed to the platform with his hands clasped.
"Clothes."
"Li Si, are you convinced?"
Li Si, the left prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, stood up and bowed to the platform.
"Clothes."
"Zhang Tu, are you convinced?"
One of the Nine Ministers, the Chief Justice Zhang Tu, stood up and bowed to the platform.
"Clothes."
"Cai Ze, are you convinced?"
Cai Ze, who had served as prime minister during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and was given the title of Gangcheng Jun, stood up and bowed towards the platform with his hands clasped.
"Clothes."
"Gan Luo, are you convinced?"
Gan Luo, the Shangqing who was appointed prime minister at the age of nine and the leader of a noble family, stood up, lowered his head in the surprised eyes of the court officials, and bowed to the high platform with his hands clasped.
"Clothes."
Ying Chengjiao called out to five people in a row. Every time he called out to one person, the awe in the ministers' eyes grew more intense, and their gazes lowered half an inch.
These five people were either in high positions or had enormous power. Any one of them was a giant in the Qin State, and they all gave affirmative answers when asked by Ying Chengjiao.
Since the establishment of the Qin State , the only person who could have such power without being a king was the legendary queen mother, Mi Bazi!
But Mi Bazi was a woman and could not ascend the throne.
But Ying Chengjiao was not like that. He was a member of the Ying family with a good family background and the younger brother of the First Emperor. The Qin State also had the tradition of succession from elder brother to younger brother.
Although Ying Fusu has been designated as the crown prince, everything is possible as long as the crown prince has not succeeded to the throne.
[Even though Chang'an Jun behaved like this, His Majesty was all smiles. This is to build momentum for Chang'an Jun's succession to the throne! ]
The ministers seemed to have finally figured it out, and the subsequent conversation in the Xianyang Palace made them absolutely certain of what they were thinking.
"Is that enough?"
Ying Chengjiao asked Feng Quji.
"not enough!"
This answer was not given by Feng Quji who was standing in the hall, but by the First Emperor who was sitting on a high platform, wearing a Tongtian crown and a black Xuanniao crown!
“Not enough!”
The First Emperor emphasized again.
Today's appointment of Meng Ao as Marquis of Guanjun was originally agreed upon by the two brothers, and according to the procedure, the first thing the First Emperor should do when he went to court was to announce this.
But the First Emperor not only did not say anything, he also avoided the issue, just to force Ying Chengjiao, who did not want to be king, to stand up.
[If you want to confer the title of Marquis of Che on Meng Ao, then you should bring it up yourself. I will not bring it up. Whether this will succeed or not depends on you, a young man.]
This is the kind of open strategy that the First Emperor was good at, it's aboveboard!
He knew that his brother was a man of loyalty and that he would definitely make this happen, so he stood up!
He conferred the title of Marquis Che on Meng Ao, and all the military generals who had received great favors from Meng Ao turned their hearts to him.
Ying Chengjiao stood up to ask for a title for Meng Ao, and at least 50% of the generals turned their attention to Ying Chengjiao.
To create momentum, that’s right, he wanted to create momentum for Ying Chengjiao!
When spring comes and flowers bloom in March, it is the time for the First Emperor to tour the country.
The First Emperor was relieved that Empress Afang was the regent, but he was not at ease. He knew that his daughter would not betray him, but he also knew that her ability was not enough to support such a huge empire.
With Ying Chengjiao as regent, the First Emperor felt assured and reassured.
Feng Quji was not a person arranged by the First Emperor, but an unexpected surprise.
The First Emperor seldom made arrangements for people. Although he was autocratic, he would not stifle the thoughts of his court officials.
In governing the Qin Empire, he had to listen to all sides.
The First Emperor's gaze, hidden behind the pearl curtain, swept over Feng Quji with approval.
The appearance of Feng Quji made today's results much better than he had expected.
Ying Chengjiao raised his head, looking upward with no fear in his eyes. He was dissatisfied with the power, and he shouted loudly in revenge:
"Meng Yi!"
"Clothes!"
"Meng Tian!"
"Clothes!"
"Meng Wu!"
"Clothes!"
"Mi Sui!"
"Clothes!"
"Mao Heng!"
"Clothes!"
"Fuqiu Bo!"
"Clothes!"
"Gongsunni!"
"Clothes!"
"Chen Xiao!"
"Clothes!"
"Zhao Tuo!"
"Clothes!"
"Ren Xiong!"
"Clothes!"
"Tu Sui!"
"Clothes!"
"Ying Xi!"
[Calling an elder by his first name is so rude, you bastard! ]
The eldest brother of Qin Zhuangxiang King Ying Zichu, Weiyang Lord Ying Xi, stood up angrily and shouted angrily:
"Clothes!"
…
Ying Chengjiao called out the names one by one, as if there was no end.
Civil officials and military generals.
The Ying royal family, the in-laws of the Chu clan, and the aristocratic family.
One after another they stood up and stood upright.
Their voices are hoarse and crisp, their sounds are loud and soft, and their tones are high and low, but they all say the same word - surrender!
Originally, most of the ministers in the court were sitting upright, with only three or five standing up. But as Ying Chengjiao shouted faster and faster, more and more people stood up, and in less than half a quarter of an hour, the number of people standing was almost equal to the number of people sitting.
The most outstanding people in the country stood there with their hands down or their heads lowered, forming a dark mass. The shadows they cast made the court officials who were still sitting on the ground terrified and uneasy.
They are very scared.
On the one hand, they were thinking: What would they do if Chang'an Jun called their names?
On the other hand, they were thinking: When did all the people in the court belong to Chang'an Jun?
Soon, the number of people standing exceeded the number of people sitting. Ying Chengjiao finally stopped calling the roll and said coldly:
"Your Majesty, is that enough? Those who obey have surpassed those who do not."
The First Emperor laughed heartily, and his laughter dispelled the only eerie atmosphere in the court.
"Feng Quji."
The First Emperor leaned forward and asked with interest.
"You, the Imperial Censor, please tell me, are you convinced? Can you all be granted the title of nobility for doing this?"
The dark crowd was like a hurricane, but it failed to knock down Feng Quji, the fence-sitter.
Feng Quji stood upright like a sharp sword, unmoved. He bowed slightly to the platform to show respect and said:
“I refuse to accept.
"The world is just and fair, and there is a public opinion. I have never heard of the principle of the minority obeying the majority. According to Chang'an Jun's words, if five men raped a woman, and the five men agreed but the woman did not, would the five men be innocent? Should the woman be arrested? This is really ridiculous!
"Shang Jun established twenty ranks of military merit and titles, which were engraved on bamboo slips and in the Qin law. Duke Meng has not been a general for several years. Since he has not made any military achievements, why is he now a marquis?
“Your Majesty, there is no need to ask again. Even if the whole court is composed of civil and military officials, my answer will remain the same and will not change.
“I don’t agree.
“No.”
The ministers were in an uproar.
In their eyes, Feng Quji had changed from a straw that would fall down at the slightest breeze to a stone in the toilet, smelly and hard.
"rational."
The First Emperor nodded and looked at Ying Chengjiao with great interest.
"Cheng Jiao, what do you say?"
"Military achievements on the battlefield have been rewarded, but what about off the battlefield?"
Ying Chengjiao pointed at the generals who stood up and stood together.
"Generals value military merit the most, and cannot tolerate anyone stealing a title without any military merit. Now these generals are willing to stand up for Duke Meng, not because they are intimidated by my power, Ying Chengjiao, but because they truly believe that Duke Meng should be granted a title of nobility!
"Without Lord Meng's leadership, they wouldn't be where they are today. How many generals have served under Lord Meng? Without Lord Meng, the number of generals in the Qin Empire would be at least half as many!
"If you are not a soldier, you don't know the merits of Lord Meng. Imperial Censor Feng is not in the army, so he naturally cannot understand the title of "Best Bravest of the Three Armies"! Military merits are not only on the battlefield, but also off the battlefield!
"I and other generals are here to ask for a title for Duke Meng. Your Majesty, please make Duke Meng a champion marquis!"
Among the new generation of generals, only a few were as illiterate as Meng Ao. Most of them had read the Art of War and understood words and principles, but their life on the battlefield had made them accustomed to being straightforward and speaking in a rough manner.
Today, in order to grant the title of nobility to Meng Ao, who had done them a great favor, they put on airs that they usually looked down upon and spoke in flowery official language.
"Your Majesty has bestowed upon me the title of Marquis, which is the great favor of the people and what they all aspire to do."
"We can follow the example of Zongheng Hou!"
"Those who have made great contributions to the Qin Dynasty cannot be granted the title of nobility. This is the reason why they cannot win the support of the people!"
“…”
These generals were not direct descendants of the Meng family. The real direct descendants of the Meng family had already gone to the northwest and followed the third son Ying Jianglu to expand the territory in the Xiongnu land.
But most of the generals in Qin could not avoid the Meng family, and they had all received favors from the Meng family to some extent. Meng Ao's record was indeed outstanding, but he was about to fail recently. So they were willing to stand behind Ying Chengjiao and plead for Meng Ao when Ying Chengjiao took the lead, because death is the greatest thing.
And even if it is not for the purpose of repaying a favor, from the perspective of interests, Meng Ao can be granted a title of nobility today, which sets a precedent and is beneficial to generals.
When their military achievements are not enough to be awarded the title of nobility, they can bring up the example of Meng Ao today to complain and talk about their contributions to the Qin State on the battlefield.
Each of them could be the next Meng Ao.
Sun Tzu said: "In war, the art of deception is the art of deception."
The students of the military strategists are not all reckless men who only know how to fight but are inflexible; they also have their own calculations.
The First Emperor pressed down his hands, and the surging sound waves like a raging sea instantly fell, and there was no sound at all.
"Feng Quji?"
The First Emperor said with a smile.
"I don't agree, I can't."
Feng Quji answered as usual.
The First Emperor laughed out loud.
"The Imperial Censor has been left speechless by this bastard, and whoever really treats this bastard as a bastard is a bastard.
"What Chang'an Lord Ying Chengjiao said is very true and well-founded.
"Meng Ao, titled Marquis Che, champion!"
A group of generals shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Ying Chengjiao narrowed his eyes and glared at the First Emperor unhappily, and laughed when the First Emperor said, "You can keep silent, I'm not forcing you to do that."
[Although the process was tortuous, the result was good, that's good...]
The protagonist Meng Ao stood up tremblingly, his face flushed with excitement and looking very good.
The old man had never thought that after leaving the battlefield for so many years, he would one day be granted the title of Che Hou, or the title of Guanjun Hou, which sounded more impressive than Wu An.
"Why is Lord Meng silent? Do you think the title of Champion Marquis is not nice? Let this brat think of another one?"
The First Emperor said with a smile.
With the permission of the First Emperor to speak, Meng Ao knelt on the ground and paid homage.
"I am very happy. Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is wise!"
The old man, who was extremely grateful to Ying Chengjiao in his heart, only thanked the First Emperor.
When Bai Qi was conferred the title of Marquis of Wu'an, the old man saw Bai Qi thank King Zhaoxiang of Qin in the hall, and then thanked Wei Ran who was favored by King Zhaoxiang of Qin.
Bai Qi died by the sword of the King of Qin, and Wei Ran was dismissed from his post and title by King Zhaoxiang of Qin, expelled from Xianyang, and died of grief.
The two high-ranking civil and military officials did not die on the battlefield or in assassinations by other countries, but were killed by the King of Qin whom they served.
The old man knew that the First Emperor was not King Zhaoxiang of Qin, and that the First Emperor had a much bigger heart. However, the old man still remembered that the mistakes he saw should not be made again.
At the moment of his death, in the midst of great joy, the old man was still thinking about the Meng family, as he had been doing throughout his life.
The third Marquis of Che was born in the Qin Empire, Marquis of Guanjun Mengao.
The court was filled with noise and whispers.
Most of the military generals looked at Meng Ao, while most of the civil officials looked at Ying Chengjiao.
If the previous fear was a guess made by the ministers through clues and the transfer of officials in the court, then from today on, this guess has come true.
One word mobilized half of the court. The remaining ones who did not stand up were not necessarily impossible to mobilize, but there was no need. This strength and power cannot be said to be strong, it can only be said to be outrageous!
What's even more outrageous is that the high and mighty Emperor Qin Shi Huang not only had no fear at all, but also took the initiative to build momentum for Ying Chengjiao and was happy to see it succeed, as if he was ready to abdicate at any time!
That's a throne, not a frying pan.
Sitting on it, you will be the master of the world, instead of being fried!
Pah pah pah
"Well, let's save your pleasure for after the court session."
The First Emperor clapped his hands and opened his mouth, and there was complete silence.
"There is one thing I want you all to know. I have decided to go on a tour in the spring, following the example of the ancient sage kings."